Mentally Prepared for Battle

Throughout human history, tribes and nations have attacked others and defended themselves with the use of weapons. With the right advantage in weaponry, a smaller, lesser trained group could defeat a large army. History gives us multiple examples of new weapons that proved particularly advantageous and changed warfare in the world.

Early history brought the invention of the spear and then there came special devices known as an atlatl which enabled hunters and soldiers to throw their spears even farther.

During the Bronze Age, stone daggers eventually gave way to metal swords. 

The Byzantine Empire used something in naval battles known as Greek fire which is still a mystery today. We can only speculate how it was made since the formula was kept secret, but historical accounts tell us that it couldn’t be put out by water.

One of the more basic weapons, as we would classify it, was the bow and arrow. In 14^th century England, there was the development of the longbow, which allowed soldiers to pierce armor from a much farther distance. That changed European warfare drastically.

Another famous step in the development of weapons was the invention of gunpowder. It’s ironic to think that the Chinese were actually trying to develop a substance that would extend life, but instead created a weapon that would take countless lives as it was used in grenades, mines, canons, and eventually more advances bullets and guns.

On the topic of guns, another major development was the gatling gun which could continually fire. That served as the basis for modern assault rifles.

Moving closer to modern times you then had the arrival of combat planes, helicopters, tanks, nuclear weapons, and military drones. All of these are advancements from an army seeking an advantage over others.

Back in May of this year, I saw a video of a training exercise for the Royal Marines of the United Kingdom. They were testing the Gravity Jet Suit which is supposed to help teams board ships. According to the video description, the 1,000-horsepower engine combines “with natural human balance to deliver the most intense and enthralling spectacle, often likened to the real life Ironman.”

You can imagine how eventually that might develop into a flying army.

Well, as vital as it would be to have the right armor and the right weapons when going into war, I think those who have gone into battle would say that it’s just as important, if not more so, to have the right mindset. All the weapons in the world won’t make a difference if you’re not mentally prepared for the coming battle.

That’s why soldiers train over and over again. It’s not just a physical preparation or a skill that needs to be learned. There needs to be a mental preparation for the coming battle.

Using the analogy of warfare, Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of the Lord, and I think that is familiar to a lot of you. Here in First Peter, however, the focus is not so much on the weapons, but on the mindset. Speaking through Peter, our heavenly Father wants us to be mentally prepared for a battle.

We are in a battle. We are fighting for the glory of God and for the truth of Jesus Christ. Our enemy is not the culture, and it’s not the unbelievers of this world. Our enemy is Satan and sin. And we need to be prepared for the battle.

 First Peter 2:11 says that our fleshly lusts, our fleshly passions and desires, wage war against our souls. And in order to approach that battle properly, 1 Peter 4 brings us an exhortation.

If you aren’t there already, go ahead and turn to First Peter chapter 4 with me. I’m going to read verses 1-6 so we can sort of get a preview of where we are going, but our focus today is just going to be the first two verses. First Peter, chapter 4, verses 1-6.

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ²so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. ³For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. ⁴With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; ⁵but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

If you look back again at verse 1, you can see the main command of the first sentence. Arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.

Other translations say we should arm ourselves with the same purpose, the same resolve, or the same attitude. The word Peter is pointing to the mind. This is talking about your mental process.

Having the right mindset is essential for being prepared for battle. It’s part of the way you arm yourself. Some of our youth boys got to see that firsthand when we went paintballing recently. You can have the best paintball gun in the world, but if you’re not mentally prepared to do battle, it won’t do you much good.

If that applies in paintball, how much more does it apply in real physical war? And how much more important is it in real spiritual war?

We have the Holy Spirit. We have the word of God. We have brothers and sisters in the faith. Those are part of the gifts God has given us to be prepared for spiritual battle. We have the Scriptures, the Spirit, and the saints. But at any moment, even with all that’s available to us, if we just don’t feel like fighting for righteousness, we’re going to lose. We need to have the proper mindset.

So, in order to move us toward that proper mindset, Peter gives us some important principles concerning perseverance in righteousness. If we back up a little, you might remember that the specific application he has in mind is not just generic righteousness. It is righteousness in connection to suffering. Peter is talking about righteous suffering. Righteousness in itself is hard enough as we battle against our own sinful desires. But in a world that’s hostile to the truth, we are also going to face persecution from the culture in one form or another. So, how do we prepare ourselves mentally for that battle?

Let me share three principles that can help. These are going to be three principles about righteous suffering. And since this is about equipping ourselves for a personal battle, I’m going to make them personal.

Principle number 1 is this: Righteous suffering connects me to Jesus Christ. You need to remind yourself about that. Suffering for righteousness' sake connects me to Jesus Christ.

Look again at verse 1 of chapter 4. It says: Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.

We prepare ourselves mentally to persevere in righteousness because we know that Jesus suffered as well. Rather than call down an army of angels to free Him from the pain agony of crucifixion under the wrath of God, Jesus endured the pain because He was committed to the Father’s plan.

That’s the same attitude we need to have. Our Lord, the One in whose footsteps we’re called to walk, suffered, and we are going to suffer too. By faith in Christ, we are eternally, spiritually united to Him. That union can’t be undone. But from a practical sense, we can—and we need to—deepen our experience of that connection.

When a husband and wife have a meaningful discussion about an important issue, or when they experience something together, in sadness or in joy, that unites them practically, right? You’re not more married because you had a meaningful experience with your spouse, but you do have a greater experience of that one-flesh connection.

Well, how do you gain that connection with Jesus Christ? One of the ways you connect with Christ is through righteous suffering.

Righteous suffering, one the one hand, is a reminder that Jesus went through the same thing. Jesus battled temptation, and He endured the hostility of this world even though He was innocent. That’s why He is our sympathetic High Priest.

But righteous suffering is more than just a reminder. It’s the path to greater fellowship with Christ. From our side, we are drawn to Christ in dependence. From Christ’s side, He ministers to us. He draws near to us.

Hebrews 4:16: Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Righteous suffering connects us to Jesus Christ. Remind yourself of that truth. None of us like to suffer, but if we treasure knowing Christ more than anything else, we will embrace suffering if it’ll lead us closer to Him.

Listen to Paul’s desire in Philippians 3. Speaking of his old life, he says: I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Paul knew that when He suffered for the cause of Christ, it would draw him closer to His Lord. And even if Paul died, death would only connect them even more.

You and I need to have the same mindset as we battle for righteousness. Doing what’s right might make your life more difficult at home or at work or wherever else in the world. But it will connect you to Jesus Christ. He’s gone through it already, and He will minister to you through whatever you might face. Tell yourself, “Righteous suffering connects me to Jesus Christ.”

That’s principle number 1. And again, we’re looking at personal principles that would help us persevere in righteousness.

Let look now at principle number 2. And here it is: Righteous suffering strengthens my victory over sin. Righteous suffering strengthens my victory over sin.

This is the principle we see at the end of verse 1. We are called to prepare ourselves mentally because Christ has suffered like we will and because “whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” That’s the end of verse 1. Whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

That’s not an easy statement to immediately understand. What does Peter mean by “ceasing from sin”?

Some people say that this phrase is Peter specifically talking about Jesus. Jesus suffered in the flesh, just like the first half of the verse says, and by His death, He then broke the power of sin. Those statements are true, but I don’t think that’s what Peter is intending to say because then verse 2 goes on to say that that the person continues to live in the flesh, no longer for human lusts. That seems to be pointing to some kind of change, some kind of transition.

Jesus lived in perfect righteousness, but there was never some kind of salvific change in His life. He was always free from sin. Jesus didn’t have human lusts in the same way we do. He was tempted, but He did not have a fallen body with a sinful, fleshly nature. He was without sin. So, I don’t think Peter is specifically referring to Christ here.

I think the better way to understand what Peter is saying at the end of verse 1 is that he is giving a general principle. Whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

I think what he’s saying is that when someone suffers physically because of their righteousness, it proves and it strengthens their victory over sin. Pronounced suffering in someone’s life, when it’s the result of righteousness, has a distinct effect.

One the one hand, their willingness to suffer for righteousness proves they truly belong to Christ, which means that the power of sin has been broken in their life. That doesn’t mean they are sinless, but it means, like Romans 6 says, they are no longer a slave to sin.

On the other hand, righteous suffering is more than just an evidence of salvation; it strengthens someone’s power over sin. When someone is committed to serve Christ, and they suffer as a result, that pain has a purifying effect. It helps them fight sin in their own life. There is a distinct and decisive kind of spiritual growth that righteous suffering brings. As one author puts it, “When believers are willing to suffer, the nerve center of sin is severed in their lives.”

Interestingly, that could mean than one of the big reasons we struggle so much to grow spiritually is because we don’t suffer much in this culture, at least not yet.

I think that’s what the author of Hebrews is saying when he writes, “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

He was talking about suffering in a sever way, with the threat of martyrdom, which many Christians have faced throughout history.

Back in chapter 1, Peter compared our faith to gold which is tested by fire. The fire proves it to be authentic, and the fire purifies it.

We might not enjoy the pain of suffering, but we should recognize and appreciate that it benefits us spiritually. From a spiritual perspective, pain is gain, if we are pursuing righteousness. Pain is gain. Pain draws us closer to Christ, and it sanctifies us. It grants us a greater victory over sin in our own hearts and lives.

Earthly suffering, if we approach it with the right attitude, helps free us from the grip of this world. It reminds us that our true rest and our true satisfaction is not going to be found in this life but in Jesus Christ. Righteous suffering strengthens your victory over sin.

And the most extreme expression of this principle would be having a Christian testimony that leads to death. Because then, if you die, you’ll be perfectly purified. You’ll be totally free from sin at that point. So, whether it’s happening in a small way or in the most extreme way, pain is gain. Suffering frees us from the power of sin. It strengthens our victory over sin.

You need to tell yourself that. You need to remind yourself of that every day. That’s part of being mentally prepared for the fight against sin in your life. The pain of righteousness connects you to Jesus Christ, and it strengthens your victory over sin.

If you have your mind set in the proper way, if you are mentally prepared for battle, you are then ready, as verse 2 puts it, to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions.

Again, that’s emphasizing the greater experience of victory over sin that come when you are ready to suffer for righteousness.

Well, there’s one final principle left for us today, and it’s what we see in the final phrase of verse 2. Rather than living for human passions or fleshly desires, rather than doing what our sinful nature wants to do, we are ready to live for the will of God. We live for the will of God.

Here’s principle number 3. And again, we’re personalizing them. Righteous suffering pleases y heavenly Father. Righteous suffering pleases my heavenly Father.

This really shouldn’t be a surprise to any of us, but it’s such an important reminder. Even if there were no earthly benefit from battling sin and suffering for righteousness, we should be motivated knowing that it pleases our heavenly Father.

When the Bible talks about the will of God, it’s not just talking about biblical principles that we’re supposed to follow. And we shouldn’t simply think about God’s will in terms of right and wrong. Some people have that idea. They say, “I want to know God’s will. I wonder who I’m supposed to marry, what kind of job I’m supposed to get, and where I’m supposed to live?”

Those aren’t unimportant things, but it’s not as if God is sitting in heaven saying, “You better make the right choice, otherwise I’m not going to bless you.” Don’t imagine God like that. He’s not like that. He’s not asking you to play some kind of gameshow where you might win or you might lose.

When the Bible talks about the will of God, sometimes it’s talking about God’s eternally ordained plan, but more foundational than that, it’s talking about that which pleases Him. And God is pleased when we obey Him by obeying His word. This book, given to us by His Spirit is what He wants us to do.

We don’t talk like this ordinarily, but you can imagine a mom or a dad saying to the child, “Son, please do my will today.” That means, “Please, just do what I tell you. Do what pleases me.” Living for the will of God isn’t some kind of spiritual game show. It means you want to please Him.

When you choose righteousness over sin, and especially when that choice means you are willing to suffer, God is pleased. Take comfort in that. On your own, your human righteousness would mean nothing. But because of your faith in Jesus Christ, and because you’re united to Him, God accepts your acts of obedience. He is pleased by them, even when they are imperfect.

When one of my kids does something out of a genuine kindness, as a father that pleases me. There’s such a joy in that. The Apostle John said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

He wrote that as a spiritual father to the church, but he also wrote it being moved by the Holy Spirit. So, I think it’s fair to say that’s how God feels too. It brings Him when we walk in righteousness. That’s the joy we see in the Father of the prodigal son as well. God delights in the repentance and in the obedience of His children.

So, you can be mentally prepared to wage war against your sin by remembering that your obedience, your practical holiness, pleases your heavenly Father.

When the Apostle Paul was near the end of his life, he wrote a final letter to Timothy, his young representative as a leader in the churches. And here’s what he says in 2 Timothy 2:3-4—Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

That’s the mindset we need to have. We are soldiers in a battle. And at times, the battle is going to be particularly intense because of the degree of temptation or because of the kinds of hostility we’ll be facing from this world. In those moments, when it seems like life would be so much easier if we just took the easy path and gave in, we need to remember that we are soldier placed here to please our Commander.

Our Lord is Jesus Christ, and our heavenly Father is watching us. Making the right choice pleases Him and brings His favor. We are here to do the will of God.

God has given us the weapons we need for this spiritual battle. But let’s not neglect how vital it is to have the right mindset as well. We want to experience a greater connection to Jesus Christ. We want to experience a greater victory over sin. And we want to experience what it’s like to please our heavenly Father by doing His will. Let’s be ready for the battle, and let’s help one another be ready as well.